Oblivious
by Crimson Fox4
Summary: Oblivious, meaning unaware of or paying no attention to somebody or something. Robin knows Artemis is unwillingly oblivious to his true identity - it's definitely fun to know something she doesn't - but how long will she stay oblivious? CHAPTER 6 UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, here's my second foray into this category of fan fiction, I hope it's fine, but if not let me know! I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. This is just another modified journal entry from my writer's craft course, enjoy!**

**I don't own Young Justice, they are the property of DC Comics.**

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><p><em>Oblivious<em>

"I thought it was a good offer." I informed my friend.

"No, not really – not a good idea for _me_ anyway." She replied.

"Oh." I mumbled as I sipped on my straw, sucking up part of the chocolate milkshake I had ordered while I listened to the silence left behind by my failed question.

"I didn't mean that it was a bad idea Richard, I just meant that it wouldn't work well for me. I don't have as much free time as you do." She glanced up at me before turning back to her bowl of ice cream after our eyes met.

"Well, I just figured – since you're new to the school and all – that you might want to join a club or a team, or something like that." I glanced at her and felt strange having nothing obstructing or altering my view like my sunglasses or mask normally would when I was around her.

"I'm… not much of a team person, really."

"You could've fooled me." I saw her eyes flash in confusion before she turned her head to stare out the window of the small ice cream shop I had dragged her to.

_'I better be a little more subtle.' _I thought to myself quickly, remembering that while it was fun to have her around, I had to be careful not to let her catch on or cause her to become suspicious of me. Artemis Crock was a thinker, I knew that much. She had gotten into the academy on a scholarship that she apparently hadn't even applied for. _'Speaking of which,'_ I reminded myself, _'I've really got to check into that later….'_

Artemis turned back to me and said, "I… sort of already have a team."

"Really?" I asked. My enthusiasm was a little over done, but I was curious as to what sort of story she had concocted to explain her 'team'. I played along though and quickly asked more questions, "What kind of team? One from your old school? 'Cause you know our school could totally _school_ them."

Artemis just glared.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

She shook her head and muttered, "Nothing. It's not really a school team. Sometimes we don't even act like much of a team. Well, some of us anyway."

_'Ouch.'_

Artemis looked at me over the table and informed me in a completely serious tone of voice, "It's super exclusive though, even more so than the academy."

"Really?" I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table, clasping my hands in front of my face. "Sounds like my kind of team." _'And she doesn't even know the half of it.' _I added silently.

Artemis merely rolled her eyes as she gathered up her books from the table and the bench she was sitting on as she informed me, "Sorry Richard, but when I say exclusive, I mean it. Even all your daddy's money couldn't get you in." She paused as she hefted her bulging backpack and looked me over briefly. "And believe me, it's _not_ your kind of team. Even I hardly made the cut."

We looked at each other for a moment before I shrugged and said, "Oh well, it was just a thought born from a suggestion."

Artemis matched my smirk and waved as she left, calling over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow!"

_'Actually,'_ I thought to myself as I gathered up my school stuff, _'I'll see you in an hour, just not as Richard….'_ I chuckled as I left money on the table to pay for the bill. With one last haunting laugh as I left the restaurant, I did what I do best – disappear.

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><p><strong>Well, it was short, but that's the point of our journals, we only spend ten minutes on them in class….<strong>

**If anyone would like to see this story or my previous story, **_**The Silent Shadow **_**continued or developed in some way shape or form, let me know what sort of ideas you have and maybe I can make these little one shots into multi chaptered stories.**

**But anyway, hope you all enjoyed!**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	2. Chapter 2

**I was thinking through this story the other day, and I think I might finally have a direction for it. I'm going to attempt to keep it all in Robin's perspective, and it'll follow the timeline of the show for the most part, but of course this is fan fiction, so I will take creative liberties as needed ;)**

**This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I think I'm going to be splitting it into chunks, so, enjoy the first chunk! It's focused on Homefront / post-homefront moments.**

**I do not own Young Justice, it is the property of DC Comics.**

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><p><em>Artemis' coughing echoed my own as we got off of the soaked floor and began to run down the hallway. We didn't waste any time with the stairs and merely jumped to the top as I told Artemis, "We need to get lost." <em>

_ We both began to look around the kitchen and adjoining common area before Artemis exclaimed, "The air vent!"_

_ "Good, go!" I replied with the same urgency as I turned to my right to hook my wrist computer up to the small access panel next to the doorway. As I willed my fingers to move faster over the holographic keyboard I heard Artemis jump over the counter and onto the stove. '__**I'll have to remind her later to practice being light on her feet while under pressure.' **__I thought as I heard the grate on the bottom of the air vent clatter onto the stove._

_ "What are you -" Artemis began, but she never got a chance to finish._

_ I glanced over my shoulder as I informed her quickly, "Downloading cave blueprints, could come in-" I paused as I glanced towards the entrance to the hallway and listened to the approaching metallic footsteps. I lowered my voice before I broke the connection with the cave's main computer as I commanded, "Go, go!"_

_ As I turned around and ran across the kitchen, I saw Artemis disappear up the air vent in a flash of blonde and green. I followed her a moment later, and it wasn't until we were into the main ventilation system that I realized that I had forgotten to return the grate to its usual place. __**'Wouldn't Batman be proud….' **__I thought to myself sarcastically as I activated the screen of my wrist computer once more to evaluate the best path to take from here on out. I looked up briefly before I instructed Artemis, "Go left."_

_ Just after I turned behind her, a column of fire blasted past me through the metal tube we had just been in. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I stated, "Too close." I moved to follow behind Artemis once more, this time towards a tube with more light than the last. Take the first right!" I called ahead to my teammate who was approaching the juncture of two tubes. "There should be a vent cover right in front of you."_

_ I watched as Artemis removed the cover and jumped into the tube, sliding downwards. I waited for a moment to make sure I wouldn't run into her at the other end before I dove after her, momentarily enjoying the feeling of falling downwards despite the situation we were in. _

"Master Richard, it is time for school."

"Who, wha – huh?" I blurted as I jolted awake, only vaguely aware of Alfred standing patiently in the doorway to my room. I turned to my right to face him, but cried out in surprise as my tangled sheets tightened their hold on me and sent me tumbling over the edge of my mattress. I groaned as pain assaulted my body.

I didn't groan because of the fall, it was probably my third time falling out of bed this week. No, the pain that attacked me afresh was from last night, as if I needed a reminder that the events I had been dreaming about were actually real. I let out another moan before I mumbled, "What a night."

"Indeed." I turned towards the elderly butler, and couldn't help but think that his hearing was still amazing for someone of his age. Though, when he has to take care of someone like Bruce Wayne… I suppose it makes sense.

"Does Bruce tell you _everything_, or how exactly do you always know when to wake me up when I've overslept?"

I thought I caught a flicker of a smile on Alfred's lips, but he wasn't facing me anymore, so I couldn't be sure. I was tempted to flop back into bed, but just as Alfred was leaving, Bruce walked by. "Don't even think about it, Dick!"

I groaned and yelled down the hall, "I had a rough night, okay? I'm not exactly feeling the aster right now…" I trailed off, but heard my mentor's long, confident strides stop before they turned around.

Bruce suddenly appeared outside my door, his muscular frame a lot more intimidating than Alfred's calm demeanour any day. "Robin may have had a long night, but Richard Grayson didn't. Now get out of bed."

"Already taken care of." I muttered.

Bruce's gaze swept over my room before he locked onto my face that was still bent at an awkward angle from my spot on the floor thanks to this morning's particularly graceful dismount. He shook his head before turning around and calling, "Just get ready, Dick."

Once I was sure he was out of earshot, I muttered to myself as I began the only too familiar routine of untangling myself before I slowly got ready for the day. Sometimes, having a secret identity really made mornings the worst part of my day. It wasn't until I looked at the clock beside my bed that I suddenly wished I had access to Wally's super speed powers.

Before I could quicken my pace though, another memory suddenly flashed across my mind.

_ "What happened?" Artemis asked as she looked over my shoulder, worry echoing in her voice after witnessing an explosion on the video feed that had just cut out._

_ "Explosion took out the camera. I'll find another angle." I typed at my keyboard, accessing the footage from the other cameras that would have recorded the explosion as well. I cycled through the remaining three cameras, and none of the water filled footage gave us any answers, only more questions._

"_That's it, all four are dead." I stated quietly, trying to think through what I had just witnessed. Glancing to my right, I noticed Artemis' incredulous look. Quickly realizing what it sounded like I just said, I blurted, "The cameras, I meant the cameras! I'm sure the others are okay. Just give me a sec to find the fastest route to the hangar."_

"_Yeah, they're fine, they've all got superpowers! They can handle anything." Artemis leaned against the tunnel wall behind her, and I couldn't help but notice the change in her voice. She didn't sound as cocky and confident as she usually did, and I knew it had nothing to do with Kid Flash not being around._

Shaking my head as the memory slowly faded back into a different part of my brain, I glanced at my clock and dashed around my room gathering what I needed for the day. As I slid into my bathroom and closed the door, I realized that even super speed hadn't helped Wally last night, so why would I need it to get to school on time?

I was Robin after all – who needed superhuman speed?

'_Besides,' _I thought cheekily to myself as I began a rushed version of my morning ritual, _'I bet I'll beat Artemis to Gotham Academy, easy.'_

Boy was I wrong.

-R-

Half an hour later, I ran across the courtyard of Gotham Academy as I raced to reach my math class on time. I couldn't resist the feeling of dread bubbling up inside me as the first bell of the day went. I slowed as I reached the far end of the open space and pulled the door outward, making sure not to use too much force. While Robin wouldn't care in the least if the door banged against the ancient brick walls of the mathematics building, unfortunately Richard Grayson did. And, as I was currently in civilian mode, I had to make sure not to use too much force – only the amount that would be required of a student who was late for class.

"Mr. Rankin is going to kill me!" I muttered as I dashed through the hallways, ignoring my muscles' cries of pain at the unnecessary workout. A shortened morning schedule meant no stretching or training before school. That would've been fine on a normal day, but after last night's attack… let's just say a stretch would've done me some good this morning. _'Along with actually getting up on time.'_

I skidded to a stop and threw my thoughts out the window as I paused outside of my calculus room. I would've gone in, but the door was closed. As I gently turned the nob, I resisted the urge to bang my head against the door. Mr. R. had locked the door on me – again. Did he enjoy making me interrupt his class and giving me a tardy slip in front of everyone?

Sighing in defeat, I rapped gently on the door and heard my teacher's droning voice come to a halt. I forced myself not to grimace, but put on my best face of innocence instead as Mr. Rankin opened the door with a squeak of protest from its worn out hinges. Looking up at my teacher, I let out a nervous laugh and ran a hand through my gelled hair as I told him, "Sorry, Mr. Rankin, my alarm didn't go off today."

I could hear muffled giggles and groans of annoyed amusement come from my classmates in the classroom beyond my teacher. Mr. Rankin wasn't tall, but his wide girth was enough to block my entrance into his class. He looked at me over the top of his glasses, his steely eyes boring into mine before he took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes in annoyance. _'That's never a good sign.' _I thought before I blurted, "It won't happen again, sir!"

His sceptical glance spoke volumes about what he _really_ thought about my constantly unfulfilled promises, but regardless he took a step back and handed me a puke orange sheet of paper that had already been filled out for me. I shook my head as I walked to my desk briskly, shoving the tardy slip into my back pocket, yearning to slump down in my seat and disappear from my classmates' curious looks.

Sighing in relief upon sitting down in my assigned seat, I went to take my books out of my bag, but that's when I realized I had dropped them off at my locker the previous night. My sigh of relief turned into a groan of annoyance, but before my teacher could find something else to get me in trouble for, I grabbed my physics textbook and laid it on my desk with a blank notebook I always kept in my backpack.

While I wouldn't pass a close inspection, from far away I knew I would look like I was prepared despite my tardiness. I glanced at the clock above the door that Mr. Rankin hadn't bothered closing again, and as he began to teach the lesson in his usual monotone voice, and I couldn't wait to get out of that room, even if I was doing math.

As I wrote the notes from the board down and tried to look like I was at rapt attention listening to my teacher's class, I couldn't help but hope against hope that I wouldn't run into Artemis at school today. The problem was, however, that Artemis and I were in the same Physics class. Considering how the first hour of my day had panned out so far, I could only imagine what would happen if I ran into my oblivious teammate should she be at school today.

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><p><strong>I hope that was up to everyone's standards, and thanks to anyone and everyone who reviewed or read this story, it was a great encouragement to me to continue with it!<strong>

**Although I now have a plan, let me know if any ideas pop into your head, or if anything comes to mind that you might want to see happen with this story. Oh, and Artemis should show up again next chapter, no worries!**

**Constructive criticism is always welcome, I didn't have a whole lot of time to edit this tonight, thanks!**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	3. Chapter 2 part 2

**Surprise! This story is still alive, it's just been put on hold recently by my life, you know how it is. Anyway, as promised, here's the second half of chapter two.**

**I do not own Young Justice, it is the property of DC Comics.**

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><p>"<em>Six minutes." After confronting the two red robots in the hangar and hardly escaping by swimming through several water filled tunnels, the robotic voice that echoed throughout the mountain was hardly what I wanted to hear at that point. Besides, the constant reminders of our time limit definitely didn't help me focus. Just catching my breath was hard enough, but I eventually got my breathing under control and sent a glare up through the piping. I couldn't see the enemy, and they couldn't see us, but they were there. They were still there for us to beat, to outsmart.<em>

_ "What do we do now?" I looked at Artemis and took note of her wide eyes._

_ Artemis' usually professional and stubborn front had been cracking all night, and I knew that it was bound to break any moment. It was time to embrace my training, time to be strong enough for the both of us. Looking my teammate in the eye, I informed her, "We save them – that's how it works."_

_ Artemis' incredulous look was followed by her voice rising as she argued, "Maybe that's how it's __**supposed**__ to work, but those robots already took out our four __**super powered**__ friends." As if we needed the reminder. All the same, I kept my cool and tried my best to not let the gravity of our situation get to me. I knew better than to let it come to that._

_ "You seem distraught."_

_ "__**Distraught?**__" Okay, so maybe I struck a nerve. "M'gann is dying!" I really didn't need that reminder either, but the slight pause in her rant only gave her time to raise her voice higher so that her yelling began to echo slightly off the metal walls of the tube we were in. "We have no powers, and I'm down to my last arrow! Of course I'm distraught!"_

_ Finally having had enough of an uncharacteristically distraught and emotional Artemis I felt my teeth grind together before I bit out, "Well get __**traught**__, or get __**dead**__!"_

_ I watched as Artemis' surprised expression turn into one of confusion before she asked, "How can you be so calm?"_

_ Turning away from her and crawling in the opposite direction of where we had entered the tube, I replied in a voice quieter than before, "Practice. I've been doing this since I was nine."_

_ "What good is that now? What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?" Her voice still varied in pitch and she obviously wasn't traught yet, but at least she wasn't yelling at me anymore. But as soon as I let her words run through my head again, I felt an epiphany coming._

_ "Oh… duh! They're machines!" I paused crawling and felt a grin begin to tug at the corners of my mouth. "And one electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine in range." I could already feel a plan forming in my head and was only half aware of Artemis' sarcastic reply to my recent revelation, "Great! Except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, because I know I don't have one in my quiver." _

_The snarky reply from the archer next to me almost made the situation seem normal, as though she was arguing with Wally. However, the situation we were in was far from normal, and Kid Flash was trapped in the hangar. His help definitely would've come in handy about then, though. _

_ "I'm fresh out." I told Artemis with a smirk. "But I'm betting we can make one." I placed a finger in my left ear to activate my transmitter, as the team wasn't linked together by M'gann's telepathy. "What do you say, KF? Doable?" I asked my friend through the small device in my ear._

_ "Totally doable!" I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice even though it was hushed due to his proximity to the cave's intruders._

_ "Five minutes." The mechanically voiced reminders were getting __**really**__ old._

_ "You know, if you had more time."_

_**'Encouraging as always, KF…' **__I thought to myself before I focused on the task at hand._

My memories came hurtling to a halt in sync with the bell above Mr. Rankin's doorway that signalled the end of class. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to push all of my memories of last night to the back of my head. I _really_ didn't need to be thinking about them while I was at school attempting to be normal.

I sighed as I stood up from my desk and began collecting my supplies I had hardly touched during class. When I heard heavy footsteps advancing towards me from the other end of the aisle between the rows of desks, I hastily stuffed my physics textbook deep into my bag and closed my near to empty notebook. I really didn't need to get in trouble with my math teacher twice in one period. It wasn't unheard of for Dick Grayson to do just that, but usually it was about a wrong answer in the textbook, or about an outdated mathematical theory or equation. However, it would be best if I just avoided another confrontation and headed to my next class.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I quickly turned to my right to head out of the classroom, but I had to stop midstride as I realized Mr. Rankin had blocked my path for the second time that morning. Yet, that wasn't the only problem. The combination of my reckless and powerful slinging, a sudden stop, and a faulty backpack zipper had sent the contents of the book compartment of my bag spewing onto the classroom floor in a paper filled waterfall of textbooks, novels, and notebooks.

With a groan of annoyance I stooped down and began to shove everything back into my bag as I asked my teacher, "Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" I only heard an irritated grunt from my teacher in response. I had almost picked up all of my fallen school supplies by that point, but as I reached out for my upside down Physics textbook, my teacher's pudgy hand grasped it first.

I looked up from my spot on the ground and couldn't help the dismay I felt as Mr. Rankin flipped over the book to read its title. As I zipped up my bag and made sure the contents were secure, I stood back up and could almost feel the waves of annoyance rolling off of my calculus teacher at that point.

Looking at his red face and his beady eyes that were obscured by his overly large hand gripping the bridge of his long nose in frustration, I suddenly saw a striking resemblance between him and the Penguin.

Any thoughts I had of whether it was a strange thing or not to make such a connection between my teacher and one of Gotham's villains disappeared as Mr. Rankin informed me, "Richard, I realize you're a part of the Mathletes and all, but a Physics textbook, _really_?"

"Well, I took your advice from yesterday and read ahead." I tried to gauge my teacher's reaction but I quickly continued my improvised explanation when he crossed his arms. "When I realized that I had forgotten my textbook in my locker, I figured I remembered enough to follow the lesson today. Besides, my locker is on the other side of the school. I would have wasted more time getting it than I would actually spend using it."

I could tell Mr. Rankin was trying to keep a calm head as he pinched his nose again. Everyone does something when they're stressed, and it turns out it was my math teacher's habit was to squeeze the bridge of his nose. He lowered his hand and told me, "You're a smart kid Grayson, I'll give you that, but can you _please_ bring the correct textbook to class from now on?"

Grabbing the proffered book from my teacher's hands as I slipped around him, I hurried to the door and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Mr. R, I won't let it happen again!"

As I darted into the hallway and the throng of students I heard his gravelly voice call out, "And get to class on time tomorrow!"

"I'll try..." I muttered to myself as I dashed through an open door and headed across the courtyard to my locker. It wasn't _completely_ on the opposite side of the school as my homeroom was, but with the distance I had to travel to get to it, it may as well been.

Restraining myself to a quick walk, I arrived at my locker two and a half minutes later. After several failed attempts at the combination of my locker, I was finally able to yank it open on the fourth try. As I rooted through my locker and transferred different books and binders from my backpack to my locker and vice versa, I couldn't help but think, _'Ask me to fight a dozen armed henchmen? No problem. Flying through the air and jumping from rooftop to rooftop, no issues there. Solve a complex mathematical equation? Easy as pie. I do those things every single day as Robin, the Boy Wonder! But, when I'm Richard Grayson it seems that getting to class on time is the biggest challenge I face on a day to day basis. Besides, this morning proves that I'm way more traught as Robin than I am as Dick regardless of how much sleep I get.'_

I again pushed my thoughts aside as I double checked my backpack held everything I needed for the rest of the morning. Satisfied that everything was there, I set it on the floor and I slammed my locker shut.

"Well, aren't you a bundle of caring sunshine this morning?" I involuntarily stepped backward and tripped over my backpack at the sudden appearance of Artemis.

As I rubbed my head that had hit the floor of the hallway after my second oh so graceful fall of the morning, I muttered, "And they call _me_ the ninja…."

"What?" I glanced up at the blonde girl above me, and I felt my mind begin to race as I saw the confusion that was painted across her face.

"Nothing." I replied quickly before adding, "You just startled me is all. You were like a ninja the way you snuck up behind my locker door like that." She raised her eyebrow in question, but offered to help me up nonetheless.

I grasped my teammate's hand, and as she hauled me up from the floor she stated, "No ninja skills required, you seemed pretty distraught for a second there the way you were treating your locker."

_'If she knew who I was, she would definitely be __**beyond **__smug right now to see me like this.'_ I thought to myself before wondering, _'Is this what Wally has to deal with all the time? Although, he usually brings it upon himself….'_ Noticing the civilian archer's amused look, I stated, "It's been a rough morning, alright?"

"Obviously." She motioned towards my locker, and I winced as I realized that I _may_ have dented it slightly more than it was before.

"Well, I, uh…." I trailed off and ran a hand through my hair, and I quickly realized that my hair wasn't gelled down very well anymore. I quickly ran my hand in the opposite direction to try and flatten my hair. It was one thing if I slipped up because of my words here and there, but another thing entirely if Artemis managed to match Dick Grayson's gelled, frazzled hair with Robin's gel free, unkempt locks.

Hoping that Artemis wouldn't notice anything that had to do with my physical appearance, I bent down and picked up my bag. I put it on before walking to my locker where I made a show of slowly and calmly opening and closing my locker _gently_. Looking over my shoulder at Artemis, I inquired, "Happy?"

She merely shrugged as she asked, "Are you going to apologize to it too?" She smirked at the annoyed glare I sent her way. "Easy there, Grayson, you're reminding me of someone else's potent stare that I've already had to endure multiple times over the past couple of weeks, I don't need a similar one from you."

I looked at Artemis for a moment longer before my frown turned into a grin as I motioned to a set of double doors that led into the main science building. "In any case, _newbie, _we need to head to Physics now, the bell's going to ring any minute."

It was Artemis' turn to frown as she walked past me and gave me a small shove so that I banged my locker's door again. I moved to follow her to one of the classes we shared, and I couldn't help but smirk as I heard her muttering, "Just because he's Bruce Wayne's genius prodigy of a son he suddenly thinks he can insult the new girl that _he_ went out of _his_ way to befriend. _Great_."

The grin on my face was purely one of amusement, and I had to swallow my laughter as we entered one of Gotham Academy's Physics labs just as the warning bell went. As I settled into my seat a few rows in front of Artemis, I suddenly felt as though maybe I could keep my secret identity safe from her after all.

I mean, if Kid Flash can completely tick Artemis off without even trying, I bet I can find a way to get myself out of any precarious, secret identity blowing situations as long as I can keep finding ways to shift her attention towards her temper. Actually, that could possibly be the best idea yet to keep Artemis hopelessly oblivious that Robin and Dick Grayson are one in the same.

As I once again pulled out my Physics textbook from my bag, I smirked at my memory of the events of the morning and how they had led to the formation of a brilliant scheme.

_ 'Now I just need to pay closer attention to Wally and Artemis' fights to figure out the best ways to stump and enrage the quick witted archer.'_ Grinning as the class started and my devious thoughts slowed, I realized that this new plan would not only be the most effective, but had the potential to be the most entertaining as well.

_'Won't tonight be an interesting one back at Mount Justice….'_

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><p><strong>Well, there you go, hope it was worth the wait!<strong>

**As always, constructive criticism or ideas for future chapters / situations are always appreciated. Also, I have my account set up so that anonymous reviews are allowed, so feel free to leave a review whether you're a member or not.**

**When will the next chapter be out? Well, send me a message if it's not up after a week, how's that?**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	4. Chapter 3

T**hanks to my work schedule this wasn't written all at once. So, if there are any strange tense switches or something is off, I've tried my best to catch it, but let me know what I've missed! Editing while sick isn't really the most efficient or effective form of editing….**

** And thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it – sorry that the updates haven't been very regular though, I'm working on it.**

** I do not own Young Justice, they are the property of DC Comics.**

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><p>When I headed to the cave after school, I had completely expected repairs and alterations by the Justice League to be well underway. What I hadn't expected was a mission from Batman about a "Guerilla Gorilla". But, I was quickly reminded by my mentor of a very important truth that one needed to know if they ever hoped to survive as his protégé – The Dark Knight <em>never<em> jokes, especially when a mission is being discussed.

_'Talk about one distressing night following another.'_ I thought to myself as I leaned back in my chair on the bridge of M'gann's bioship. I crossed my arms and regarded my faint reflection in the ship's sleek windows as I debated with myself, _'But, shouldn't __**dis**__tressing be the opposite of stressing?_ _Or would it be the opposite of 'tressing? Either way, the word makes completely no sense paired with that particular prefix.'_

Turning my gaze back to the instruments and lights that lit up the console in front of my seat, I realized we were nearing the border of Northern India. Even knowing that the reconnaissance mission was going to kick into high gear in just a few minutes, I couldn't ignore the fact that Kaldur _actually_ believed there was a mole on the team. I mean, who was even capable of being the mole?

Despite his anger issues, I couldn't see Superboy consciously betraying his newfound friends that had freed him from Cadmus. The only time that anyone was really in danger from the mountain's resident Superman clone was when they messed with M'gann. _'I really ought to warn Wally about that again.' _I reminded myself as my best friend's over the top flirtatious ways around the Martian came to mind.

Needless to say, Kid Flash and I were beyond innocent. We were the ones who were partners with two of the Justice League's most renowned heroes. Surely our team leader couldn't expect us? Then again, Kaldur was the kind of person who would never label someone as innocent or guilty until it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. He really wasn't someone who jumped to conclusions, as even the formality in his speech paid tribute to a discipline and wisdom beyond his years. Yet, where did he even get the idea about a mole having infiltrated our close-knit team?

Sure, we all have secrets, some of us more than others, but there has to be a way to draw a line between things that need to be kept private, and those that warrant suspicion. M'gann hasn't shared a lot of her past with us, at least not much beyond stories about her, her uncle, and her very large family. All the same, there wasn't exactly anything about M'gann that screamed 'mole' to me.

Even though Kaldur was the one who was investigating the possibility of the mole, I couldn't convince myself to try and counteract that fact and say that looking for a mole is a great cover up being an actual mole. I mean, Kaldur being the mole? That would no sooner happen than Kid Flash giving up junk food.

With a sigh, I turned my head to look left and observe the final member of our team. Even if the others didn't know a whole lot about our spitfire of an archer, I was the one with full access to the Bat Cave's computer – as soon as I had hacked through Bruce's newest wave of firewalls and security codes, of course. When I had finally found Artemis' file, I have to admit, I had definitely been bordering on the line between whelmed and overwhelmed.

I had expected her to have some sort of secret past if the Green Arrow had introduced her to the team as his niece of all things. I'd been suspicious of that title, as I knew that the Green Arrow did _not_ have a niece, and a midnight conversation with Red Arrow a while back had confirmed that.

Batman eventually found out that I had hacked the cave's computer – again – but in his defense, he took it in stride as always. Well, minus the ominous Bat glare that is. But, it was well worth it. I learned a lot about Artemis and she didn't seem like such a big mystery to me anymore. Plus, after our time spent together last night fighting against the Reds – climbing through multiple air ducts and nearly drowning half a dozen times – I was almost ready to stand up for her if anyone ever accused her of being the mole. However, it is one thing for me to research her past, but it will be another thing entirely for her to actually trust me and tell me herself.

There is still a lot about Artemis and the rest of the team that I don't know about, but I have to remind myself that there is also a lot I haven't told them about myself, and likely I never will. Though, one day it'd be great if I really could laugh with Artemis about that picture I took of her yesterday morning. _'Yeah right, Batman would kill me first or at least ground me for life... oh the joys of being adopted by the secret identity of your mentor.'_ I thought to myself wryly just as a point on the map in front of me began to blink with increasing frequency.

Realizing that we were approaching the area where the recent attacks had taken place, I got up and motioned to Artemis to follow me towards the middle of the ship. A pair of grappling lines extended from the bioship's ceiling and we hooked them securely to our belts. I glanced over at Artemis, and I received a nod from the archer before the floor disappeared from beneath us and we landed moments later on ground below. As she notched an arrow and moved left, I pulled out a bird-a-rang and darted to the right, both of us working together to secure the perimeter of the landing site.

It wasn't until the others landed that my thoughtful state was pushed aside in favour of the annoyance and distrust that had been brewing in silence throughout our short flight. Kid Flash seemed to have been dealing with the same bitter taste in his mouth after learning about the mole, and we quickly split up from the rest of the team.

I didn't really know what happened to the rest of them or how they had split into teams until after K.F. and I had dealt with the venom infused vultures that had attacked us. It was when M'gann linked our minds together and I could hear everyone else that had to once again guard my thoughts from the others.

Wally and I played off of each other's quips and comments like the good friends we are, but I couldn't help but notice Kaldur's silence as we all fought with each other and continued to question his decisions and role as our team's leader. When he took control of the situation and helped us realize that there was more at stake with this mission than just recon, I remembered yet again why we had chosen Aqualad as our team's leader. His unwavering focus on the objective at hand was crucial.

Complete confidence in each other as a team hadn't been fully restored, but I knew it couldn't be far away as we all raced through the forest's underbrush to reach the compound where Captain Marvel's captors were holding him.

Once we had located the building, it took me and Kid Flash only a few moments to detect the dome that was protecting Captain Marvel's prison. After Artemis had trained her arrow on a control panel on a wall inside the barrier, Kaldur informed us all to be prepared. He darted forward and managed to open a small hole in the dome and Artemis immediately let her arrow fly straight and true.

As her projectile made it through the hole and lodged itself in the panel, I admitted to myself that I was impressed with her obvious skill, but it was probably only half as good a shot as the one she made last night. I hadn't been able to see it with my own eyes, but after _Kid Flash_ of all people had explained the archer's amazing shot to me, _and_ with as much gusto and theatrics as he used, I knew it had to be_ some_ shot if he had been so amazed by it. Not like he'd ever tell Artemis though.

After the force field went down, Wally ran ahead to meet Kaldur at the base of the hill where we had been staking out the compound. M'gann flew down as well. I heard Artemis behind me, but I was too busy surveying our surroundings to take notice of her beyond that.

Taking down the dome had been relatively easy, but I couldn't believe that some sort of alarm wasn't going off. That's when I noticed the oversized monkey sitting on the roof. Actually, thanks to the Cobra venom it had been injected with, I really didn't know what kind of specific species it had been before our mystery villain got their hands on it. As soon as it started screaming its lungs out though, I knew exactly what to call it.

Trouble.

An army of similarly mutated beasts just like the first appeared from behind it on the roof while an alarm started wailing. As the five of us jumped into action, I thought to myself, _'Why can't I ever be wrong about an alarm?'_

It was hard to fight, let alone keep ahead of the quick, agile creatures, and two of them eventually teamed up on me and managed to tackle me to the ground. I fought with all I had to avoid being pinned in the mud. I was struggling as one pulled my arms to the side and the other gripped my left leg when I saw Aqualad stun one of our attackers before breaking the collar around its neck. "Remove their collars!" He called before moving on to a different animal.

I continued to fight against the two unyielding… whatever they were as I muttered, "Sounds easy when _he_ says it."

A sliver of green and silver flashed in front of me before I heard two distinct sources of a metallic snap. My attackers were gone almost before their collars had hit the ground. I stood up and looked to my right and found Artemis looking back at me expectantly. I went to reply or send some sort of thanks her way, but just as she pulled another arrow from her quiver and began to notch it into place on her bow, I saw two of the oversized monkeys jump down behind her. There was no way she'd be able to take them out in time.

Without another thought, I returned my teammate's favour as I threw two bird-a-rangs in Artemis' direction. She flinched as though I'd been crazy enough to throw them _at_ her, but understanding quickly dawned on her face as they passed by her and connected with the collars on the two beastly monkeys behind her. She gave me a quick nod of thanks before we both dove back into the fray to dispatch more collars. However, I made sure that I was always aware of where she was – just in case.

Even when we ran into the building after M'gann used the large gorilla that attacked her as a battering ram, I was acutely aware where every team member was. Thanks to last night, well, I was becoming more aware of how fragile our lives are – super powered or not.

After Kid Flash's initial identification of the Brain, we all prepared for battle, but were pinned down momentarily by the same kind of field that Kaldur had described to us that he assumed helped the Brain capture Captain Marvel. We were ready, however, and M'gann quickly used her telekinesis to take control of the remote and free us. Superboy demolished a wall behind our enemies within seconds of Aqualad's mental command, and we all focused on the battle against the Brain and his Gorilla henchman.

The majority of us went after the Gorilla – his size and machine gun seemed like a slightly more lethal problem than the Brain. After we had distracted him, I saw Artemis fire an exploding arrow at his back where he wore a pack attached to his weapon. Realizing her plan, I ran over to join her and threw a bird-a-rang just as she released her second arrow. They exploded simultaneously, effectively disarming the large creature.

Moments later, we had both the Brain and his Gorilla partner surrounded, and Kaldur was able to remove the inhibitor collar from Captain Marvel who in turn freed the tiger lying next to him. If we had counted both of our animal allies, it would have been nine against two. It seemed that even the Brain realized the odds and started expanding different tools and antenna like objects from his metal torso as he appeared to prepare to fire a weapon of some sort.  
>"Get down!" Kid Flash called from across the room, and I readied myself next to Artemis who had her bow drawn tight, her jaw clenched, and then – nothing.<p>

The lights cut out for a moment before they flickered back to life to reveal that no one was in the centre of our circle. Our enemies had escaped without a trace. We searched the lab and our efforts didn't return much, but we made sure to confiscate or destroy any of the machines and research the Brain had made or conducted. At one point, I thought I saw Wally shove something red in his pocket.

'_No doubt he found a 'souvenir' of some sort_.' I thought to myself later as we made our way back to the bioship. It turns out that he had kept the beret the Gorilla had left behind because of the fight, but my red haired friend didn't seem so ecstatic about his find after Artemis pointed out the possibility of "gorilla lice".

I walked up the ramp and watched my teammates interact for a few minutes until Kaldur started up the ramp into the ship as well. When we were almost shoulder to shoulder, I chose my words carefully as I asked, "Look, I need to know. Why did you keep the mole intel a secret?"

Aqualad pivoted to face our approaching friends who gathered around the bottom of the ramp, Captain Marvel looking on from the back with wisdom in his eyes as though he already knew what Kaldur might say. Our leader glanced in my direction before facing the team once again and informing them, "The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."

"_What?_" Artemis gasped out.

I could tell she was struggling to keep her anger and worry under control. _'Easy, Artemis.'_ I thought to myself. I just hoped that she wouldn't say anything else that would give our teammates any hints as to why that specific bit of information from Aqualad would upset her so much. Yet, she had more to add.

"You can't trust _him_!" Artemis insisted, her relaxed posture became tense as she moved into a wider stance, ready to stand her ground.

"I do not." Kaldur replied calmly. "It seemed possible, even likely, that he was attempting to divide the team with false information."

Thinking over his words quickly, I added, "And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded. But you had to consider it might be true."

"Yes. As leader, I did." Aqualad stayed firm, his voice never wavering or showing any sign of discomfort. He held my gaze with ease. "In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor."

I regarded my friend for a moment longer, weighing his words and actions against what I may have done myself if I had been given the burden of such information. With a sigh, I admitted, "Hate to say it, but, makes sense."

"I am still prepared to step down." Kaldur told us, true to his telepathic words from earlier.

Wally glanced at the others around him who stood at the base of the ramp before instigating an impromptu vote as he raised his hand and asked, "All in favour of keeping Aqualad as leader?"

I followed my friend's lead and raised my hand as well. As much as I would like to lead a team of my own one day, I hadn't planned on taking up such a position any time soon. Kaldur regarded me with question in his eyes, obviously wondering if I was truly okay with him remaining the team's leader. I merely gave him a small, reassuring smile in an attempt to quiet his doubts.

"Guess it's unanimous." Captain Marvel said as he walked up the ramp to acknowledge Aqualad. They shook hands firmly before the Captain added with a wave, "See you tomorrow."

"You're not coming back with us?" Kaldur asked, and I felt just as confused as our leader sounded. I figured that Captain Marvel wouldn't mind another ride in M'gann's Martian bioship.

"Na, got'a fly." Captain Marvel took off without another word. We all looked on for a few moments until the caped hero was just a red speck in the darkening sky.

As I walked onto the ship, my teammates – my friends – following me, I decided that some secrets are okay. If we knew everything about everyone, there would be no such thing as privacy. Besides, I've known Captain Marvel for a couple of years now, and I've always felt that he has secrets of his own even though he has a very open personality. Tonight's mission only intensified my suspicions.

We settled into our seats, and as the bioship rose above the Indian landscape below and turned towards home, I looked to my left and my eyes locked onto Artemis'. While her eyes could only see my mask and couldn't look at me as anyone other than Robin, I could look at her and completely _see_ her. I knew about her past and how she came to be who she was today. I knew a lot about her now, especially after two missions in a row where we had needed to work so closely together.

I broke my gaze away from hers and pretended to look at the readouts on the console in front of me, but really my stomach was churning with guilt. I knew everything about her, and despite who she was in the past, or what kind of past she had to endure, I was ready to trust who she was _now_. Regardless though, I glanced out the window and wondered, _'Is the question really how long I can keep Artemis unaware of who I am, or should I be asking myself how long I __**want **__her to stay oblivious?'_

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><p><strong>I've mainly been following the show's timeline, and it was hard to add much of my own ideas in the time frame between "Homefront" and "Alpha Male" as they occur one day after the other, so I hope you're all okay with the lack of creativity this chapter and that it was believable. I'm relatively new to the DC Universe, so if I mess up with anything that way, PLEASE let me know, it'll help improve my future chapters and stories.<strong>

**Also, any ideas or suggestions of things you would like to see in future chapters of this story, I welcome them. I've already been given one or two that I think I'll be able to incorporate in an upcoming chapter.**

**Well, that's all for now, though there may be an update for **_**The Silent Shadow**_** sometime this weekend.**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	5. Chapter 4

**Well, hello everyone. Sorry about the long leave of absence – school, work and what not, you know, all that fun stuff ;)**

**I do not own Young Justice, they are the property of DC Comics.**

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><p>"You read too much." I called across a large oak table in Gotham Academy's massive library. My friend didn't even look up from her book. Grinning in amusement, I leaned closer and insisted, "Your nose is always in a book lately." That time Artemis actually glanced at me briefly, probably hoping I'd catch the annoyance in her eyes and just be quiet. However, I wasn't about to obey her silent request. "I thought you used to have a life – a team to hang out with or something like that?"<p>

Artemis let out an exasperated sigh as she closed the book in front of her before she leaned her elbows on the table and ran a hand over her face. She gave her book one last glance before turning to me and asking, "Since when do you care so much about me reading books?" She looked at me with a hint of suspicion before adding, "Besides, why are you always asking me about my team?"

I merely leaned back in my chair with an air of nonchalance as I replied, "Oh, no reason. Just wondering why you've been feeling the need to read so much lately. Surely it must be getting in the way of other, more _interesting _things."

"Have you forgotten that there are tests coming up in a couple of weeks?" The civilian archer followed up her question by giving me an incredulous look that I've only ever seen her use on Wally.

Biting back a laugh, I replied, "I know the school wide tests are in two weeks, but I've been here all year, you haven't. I only have to study, but _you_ on the other hand – you have to catch up _and _study. I guess that's the drawback from you transferring to the Academy on a scholarship part way through the month, huh?" My only response from my friend across the round table was a resentful glare. I couldn't decide whether it was an 'I hate you' glare, a 'you're _way_ too smug right now' look, or – my _personal_ favourite – 'I'd smack you upside the head if you weren't such a wimp' glare.

Looking down at my watch I told her, "Well, I've got to go, and you probably should too – leave your bookish ways behind you for a few hours and live a little."

I saw her eyes widen in shock when she looked down at her own watch and cried, "Oh my gosh, I've got to go! I'm _so_ late!"

I only grinned as I watched my friend dash out of the library with her long, blonde ponytail whipping out behind her as she made the sharp turn into the hallway. She technically wasn't late, but she didn't need to know that.

Looking down at my watch again, I turned it back an hour to the normal time, grabbed Artemis' forgotten books off the table, and whistled as I walked out of the library towards my locker. Some days, I was really glad that she never figured out that _I_ was the one who kept changing the time on her watch. My laughter echoed throughout the halls at the thought of her surprised face when she showed up early at the cave for once.

Upon reaching my locker, I noticed that Artemis was right next to it, trying for the life of her to open the lock. Smirking, I glided up behind her and asked, "You seemed distraught when you left the library, anything I can do to remedy that?"

Whipping around, Artemis looked at me and glanced up and down the deserted hallway before asking, "Where'd you come from?"

"The library, just like you. Or did you already forget our conversation like you did your books?" Holding up the stack of texts and notebooks for my friend to see, I added, "Maybe you should put them in your locker for safekeeping."

Frowning, Artemis turned around to face her lock again, opening it on the first try once she figured out that she had been trying to open mine._ 'It figures that Bruce would have her assigned the locker next to mine.'_ I thought to myself as I handed Artemis her books before I put my own school texts away in my locker. I really didn't need them anyway.

I heard Artemis close her locker with a bang, but once I closed my own door, she was waiting on the other side of it, leaning against the bank of lockers in the deserted hallway. I tried to give her the most innocent look I could muster, but she just narrowed her eyes and muttered, "If you aren't careful, _Grayson_, I might just end up putting _you_ in your locker one day," Straightening up as she pushed away from the lockers, she walked past me towards the doors as she added, "You know, for safe keeping and all that."

Crossing my arms, I leaned against my closed locker and watched as Artemis opened the heavy school doors like they weren't a challenge for her at all. They weren't for me either, but I had to pretend they were in order to keep up my act.

To the common observer, Artemis Crock was a confident teenager with strong opinions and a tongue quick enough to match Wally's quips. However, the common observer hardly ever realizes that there is always something deeper than what you see on the outside. I sincerely doubted that anyone would ever guess that mild-mannered Richard Grayson was the Boy Wonder by night. I also doubted that anyone on our team would see through Artemis' constant sarcasm anytime soon to see what was hidden beneath.

Perhaps it was better that way – all of us having secrets. And yet, having secrets always tends to come back and bite the secret keeper eventually.

Shaking away my thoughts, I counted to five before slinging my bag over my shoulder and walking in the opposite direction of Artemis. I took the familiar pathway through the science hallways before cutting across a small courtyard to the gymnasium building. Darting into the boys' locker room, I reached into a hidden, compact compartment of my bag and ten point eight seconds later I was placing a familiar vent grate back in its place. Crawling through the ventilation ducts, I reached the roof a minute later and let out a quiet sigh of relief as I felt the early evening wind grab hold of the folds in my cape.

Putting another ventilation cover back into place, I scanned Gotham Academy's various rooftops. Everything seemed quiet, but that's when I spotted a shadow from behind me flit across the gymnasium roof. Whipping around, I withdrew a bird-a-rang from my utility belt and in one fluid movement prepared to fling it at my unknown enemy. As I lunged forward though, I quickly brought my battle instincts to a halt when I recognized the costumed figure that had managed to sneak up behind me, bowstring drawn taught.

"Artemis?"

"Robin?" Artemis' incredulous tone was authentic and believable, but so was mine for that matter. I thought she would have headed straight for the cave and not go lurking on the rooftops. The blonde archer lowered her bow and gently released the string's tension as she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm half of Gotham's dynamic duo. It's sort of my right to be on whatever rooftop I want."

"Sure." Artemis placed her unused arrow into the quiver on her back before she continued, "But what I meant was, 'what are you doing on the roof of Gotham Academy's gym?'" She looked at me for a moment longer before stating, "I actually wouldn't be surprised if you went here."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, trying to avoid her actual questions by throwing some at her in return.

She flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder, leaned to the side, and placed a hand on her hip. She shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "It takes some serious cash to make, create, and supply the gear we use, especially your gadgets and gizmos. I've got Green Arrow supplying me with some of my arrows, surely Batman gives you all the gear you could need or want."

"Your point?"

"The point is, if I had the same assets or connections that the Dark Knight obviously has, I'd want my protégé to attend the best high school in the city – Gotham Academy." Artemis paused and looked at me for a moment longer before adding, "You know, if you're old enough to be in high school."

"Hey!" I interjected. By the smirk on Artemis' smug face, I knew that I had given the reaction she had been looking for. Frowning at the archer, I turned on my heels and walked towards the edge of the roof. Motioning in the general direction of downtown Gotham City where we could transport to Mount Justice for the evening, I muttered, "Come on. Let's go before we're late for whatever mission we might have tonight."

As we jumped from one roof to the next Artemis called out, "Funny story, we actually have forty-five minutes. I don't know about you, but I need a new watch. Mine keeps randomly jumping ahead an hour. Any ideas?"

"You should really get that looked at." It was my turn to smirk as I launched a cable to reach the roof of a nearby apartment building next to Gotham Academy's grounds. Artemis may be able to annoy me, but she was still guessing at my identity and my secret life. I already knew about hers and was able to bug her during the day as Dick Grayson, and to sling sarcasm right back at her during the night as Robin. Seemed like a fair enough trade.

For the moment anyway.

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><p><strong>So, it's not super long, sorry about that, but hopefully it's satisfactory. I might be able to get another chapter up within a week or so, but don't hold me to that… ;P<strong>

**Hope you all enjoyed, and let me know if there's anything I should add or change with this story, all ideas are welcome and will be considered.**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	6. Chapter 5

**Surprise! I'm still alive… sorry about the wait, life got busy and whatnot. **

**Well, here's chapter five. In my head, it happens either right after the last chapter, or right before the fourteenth episode… *shrugs* You guys let me know where it fits. **

**I do not own Young Justice, they are the property of DC Comics.**

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><p>I flipped backwards and shifted my weight as I landed, turning to bring up my leg and kick my opponent. They caught my ankle in a tight grip and laughed maniacally when they saw a slight grimace flash across my face. I used my other foot to kick him in the chest and get the leverage I needed to backflip out of his grasp. Even when I lashed out and hit his chin with my boot as I flipped, his eerie laugh still filled the air.<p>

"Is this guy seriously for real?" my partner asked as I did a few more flips off the walls of the alleyway and landed next to her.

"Unfortunately, yes." I replied.

She glanced at me before in one smooth movement she raised her bow and grabbed one of the multiple arrows from her quiver. She notched the arrow as our enemy continued to approach. Artemis drew back her bowstring and took aim while she murmured, "Ready?"

I grabbed a small, yellow cylinder from my utility belt and twisted it so that the telescopic pole would extend to its full length. As I tested its familiar weight and fell into a defensive position, I replied, "Always."

With a slight nod in my direction, she let the arrow fly. It hit our advancing enemy on the left side of his chest, but the arrow wasn't made to kill. The particular arrow that Artemis had fired was designed to shock and knock out her enemies. Unfortunately, her enemies aren't quite as varied as mine.

The strange, pale faced man let out a wild, almost strangled string of laughter as the arrow's charge sent his nervous system into a fit. However, I knew it would take more than a fancy weapon to take this particular enemy down.

I shifted the weight of the staff in my hands one last time as I prepared to make my own attack. The green haired felon wouldn't stay down long, even after that shock, so my attack would have to be quick and precise.

Dashing forward as the waves of electricity from the trick arrow began to die down, I propelled myself against one wall and then over to the next, gaining height as I jumped from one wall of the alleyway to the next. After one last leap of faith, I flipped forwards back towards the ground and let gravity take over the direction of my short flight.

Gripping my staff, I used the momentum I was building up and swung the pole in a wide arc. I almost winced when I heard it connect and crack against the vile villain's skull – _almost_. However, I knew what he had done in the past to hurt innocent people for no purpose but his own sick amusement. I felt no remorse as the Joker's unconscious body tipped to the side from my blow and fell into the filth of the alleyway.

I heard the scrape of stones against the worn out concrete path behind me and soon enough Artemis had moved forward into the small patch of light that filtered between the two tall brick walls on either side of us. I was just glad that the old grocery store and its neighbouring butcher shop had gone out of business years ago. It would have made it too easy for our quarry to grab an innocent bystander as a hostage, or worse yet, a human shield.

"So, is that it?"

I turned my head to the left slightly to observe the green clad archer beside me before I informed her, "Maybe. That was way too easy though."

"_That_ was easy?" I smirked at Artemis' forced sarcasm.

"Easier than normal, anyway."

"Sure." Artemis collapsed her compound bow and hooked it back onto her belt. Even though she appeared to have switched gears from our battle, I knew that she was still alert and ready. No one can get rid of the instincts that have been drilled into them from their childhood, I knew that first hand. Besides, any native to Gotham City knows that being prepared for anything keeps you alive.

Glancing around the alleyway to make sure that there had been no witnesses of our battle, my visual sweep was interrupted when Artemis coughed a couple times and questioned, "So… what do you want to do with him?"

I didn't bother sparing the downed villain a look as I turned to face the, oh, so astute archer once more. "Batman will probably drop the Joker off at Arkham like he always does."

"Because every criminal _obviously_ stays locked up _there_."

I merely regarded Artemis for a moment before shrugging off her sarcastic remark. "Every system has it's loopholes it seems."

"Emphasis on 'loopy'." Artemis muttered.

A chilling chuckle cut off any reply that I had ready. Whipping around to face where I had seen the Joker last, There was nothing but Artemis' dead arrow lying in the common dirt and grit one would find in a Gotham City alley. All that was missing was Joker.

The chuckling of our enemy seemed to crescendo into full out taunting laughter as Artemis and I moved towards each other until we were back to back in the centre of the alleyway. Her crossbow had been pulled out once more, and my grip tightened around my staff as we both scanned the narrow alleyway to figure out the position of our enemy.

"Hey bird!" My eyes darted to the roof of the abandoned butcher shop in front of me, and I caught a flicker of purple and green disappear out of sight. Before he completely disappeared though, I saw a flash of silver as he called, "Keep the blonde, at least her jokes are better than yours!"

_'What?' _The exclamation didn't make it out of my mouth, but I sure thought it.

Artemis on the other hand was done with thinking. I nearly fell backwards when she suddenly shifted to the side so that we weren't supporting each other anymore. With a speed that could almost rival KF's, Artemis grabbed an arrow from her quiver and had shot it at our enemy before I could blink.

He was already too far out of range, even for Artemis' great aim, but that didn't mean we were out of his. "Artemis, move!" I cried as I pivoted and grabbed hold of her wrist. Yanking her along with me as I ran past her, I ignored her cries of pain and protest as I mentally counted to ten.

_'…six…seven…eight…nin-', _before I even made it to ten, there was a loud electronic beep that came from behind us. I felt Artemis' muscles tense under my fingers as the sound of an explosion hit our ears, and a great gust of hot air ripped past to fling us forwards into the street.

I felt a wave of heat surround me as I flew through the air, and I almost lost my grip on my teammate's hand. I felt her hand grasp my arm firmly, and through the fog and haze of the explosion, I heard a soft 'thud' to my left.

My shoulder screamed out in pain as Artemis and I were suddenly pulled in a different direction, as though she had grabbed onto something with her left arm and I was suddenly falling victim to the limited elasticity of humans being acted upon by extreme forces. It felt as though we were swinging to the side when suddenly I felt Artemis' muscles tense again and we landed on the unforgiving ground behind a large object.

At that moment, I didn't quite care what had just happened. I just knew that whatever we were behind was helping to shield us from the secondary blast that had just gone off. Acting on instinct, I drew Artemis closer to me and covered both of us as best as I could with my cape as I began to hear objects falling all around us.

We rode out the inferno for a few moments longer until the heat around us lessened, and the frequency of the falling debris slowed. I felt Artemis shift slightly from beside me, and her tense shoulders relaxed under my arm that was wrapped around her.

The archer beside me shifted some more though, and a moment later I moved my left arm with a slight wince, my shoulder still sore from whatever ingenious plan Artemis had executed to get us out of the immediate effects of the blast. Rolling my shoulders slightly to try and put them back into normal working order, I removed my cape from over top of me and Artemis before I blinked a few times at the sight I was met with.

Artemis' long blonde hair was covered with soot and dirt from the explosion, and there were rips in her uniform along her legs from our rough landing, but she still looked like the confident young woman I was beginning to know better. I imagined I didn't look any better from our close run in with an explosion, but regardless, I stood and turned away from my friend for a moment, pushing down the rising heat in my face that had nothing to do with the flames I was staring at from behind a green dumpster.

A few moments later, I heard gravel and glass crunch underneath Artemis' feet as she slowly stood, a small, barely audible hiss escaping her lips as she took a step forward and stood by my side.

We didn't speak for a minute or two, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Artemis was rubbing her shoulders and arms intermittently as she became lost in thought. Eventually she stopped and her hands dropped to her sides. Looking over at me, she asked, "How did you know?"

I continued to stare at the flames, ignoring my friend's question momentarily until I turned around and began to walk towards the opposite side of the street away from the twisted and burnt buildings.

By the time Artemis decided to join me once more, I had made it to another alleyway across the street. She was silent for a time as we jumped, rappelled, and zip lined from one rooftop to the next as we continued our way across the Gotham skyline.

Ever since Mount Justice had been attacked by Red Tornado's siblings, Artemis had grown quieter around me. I could tell she was watching more. She wasn't just watching though, she was observing. It was like Artemis was trying to figure me out – to discover what made me tick. The thing is… I have been doing the same thing. Except, I already know why I do what I do. However, while I know her past, I don't know much about _who_ Artemis is.

When we finally dropped into the abandoned alley that was home to a zeta beam station disguised as phone booth in extreme disrepair, Artemis chose to speak again. "Is it really that big of deal to trust me with how you knew the Joker had planted a bomb?"

Sighing, my shoulders drooped slightly as I turned around to face my teammate. The archer stood two, maybe three feet away from me with her arms crossed in a stance that told me her newfound patience was wearing thin. "It – it doesn't really matter in the end Artemis, it wasn't a disaster."

"Oh, then it was a totally 'asterous' situation then?"

"Artemis-"

"No Robin!" Artemis growled as she cut me off. "In my opinion, blowing up two buildings with us sandwiched in between isn't exactly my idea of something that doesn't matter." Narrowing her eyes, she took a step towards me and jabbed a finger at my chest as she stated, "Besides, I thought you trusted me as a teammate! Doesn't that mean informing me if there are any explosives nearby?"

I matched the archer's glare and searched her furious eyes. Frowning, I grabbed her wrist and swatted it away from me so that she wasn't poking me anymore. Taking a small step back and turning to the side so that all she could see was my profile, I crossed my arms and thought for a moment. Glancing at her quickly to gauge her reaction, I muttered, "I didn't know it was an explosive until it was too late."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Artemis leaned back in her stance as she queried, "What did you think it was then?"

"I didn't know. I didn't have time to check. I just prepared myself to deal with it when the time came while I focused on bringing down the Joker with you."

"Even so, why didn't you tell me?"

Looking over at Artemis after hearing the defeated tone of her voice, I noted the hurt, pensive expression on her face as a loose chunk of her hair fell forward to hide her face from my view. Sighing, I took a step towards her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Once she was looking at me, I explained myself to her.

"When we first dropped into the alley after looping back to confirm you had seen the Joker, I noticed something shiny, new even, behind one of the dumpsters in the alleyway. Considering how out of place it looked in the abandoned alleyway, I figured it had to be something of Joker's. I couldn't tell you then because he would have known that I had noticed his device. I didn't know what it was at the time though." Looking at Artemis for a moment longer, I admitted in a whisper, "Even if I could have told you, I wouldn't have."

"But-" It was my turn to cut my friend off.

"I wouldn't have told you because it would have been one more thing to worry about. If I've learned anything from Batman, it's that focus while on a mission is _key_. Distractions – any distraction – can end up having deadly consequences."

Frowning, Artemis replied sullenly, "If you didn't notice back there Robin, there almost _were_ deadly consequences – literally. Besides, while focus is very important in what we do, so is communication between teammates."

Artemis' piercing stare told me all I needed to know.

'_She thinks I don't trust her – that I thought she was too incompetent to help me take on both the Joker and his weapon…' _I was surprised where my thoughts went next. _'Revealing that Grayson is under this mask would sure earn her trust.'_

Shaking the thought from my head, my hand slipped off of Artemis' shoulder as I turned my back on her again and ran a hand through my messy hair while I took a few steps towards the transporter.

Not trusting myself to look at the observant blonde archer again, I placed my hand on the broken door handle and told her, "As much as Batman would argue, taking on the Joker isn't a one person job. I needed you to watch my back, and I needed to watch yours. If I had checked out that device and left you to fight him alone…." I paused for a moment, opening the door slightly and stepping through it sideways. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if anything had happened to you."

Closing the door carefully, slowly, I heard the all too familiar voice of the zeta beam computer's recognition system, but all I was focused on was Artemis' shocked and confused face.

Needless to say, by the time Artemis beamed into the mountain after me, I was long gone from the cavernous hangar bay.

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><p><strong>So… thoughts? Questions? Concerns?<strong>

**Oh! And I'm going to do my best to reply to each review this time… I haven't been doing very well with that at all lately… hehe… sorry… =_=**

**~Crimson Fox4**


	7. Chapter 6 updated 040912

**Hello all, I'm afraid I've developed this bad habit of updating at the end of each month or something, it's kind of strange to be honest.**

** Anywho though, here's the next installment of Oblivious, I think right now I can only see a few more chapters beyond this one, unless I throw some more twists in here somehow….**

** Well, enjoy, let me know how to improve, or if you feel that this story is missing anything, thanks!**

** I do not own Young Justice, it is the property of DC Comics.**

_**04-09-12 UPDATE:**_

_** Alright, so, most of the reviews I got for this chapter liked the 'bro moment' between Kid Flash and Robin, however, there were those of you who thought that Artemis was missing from the equation and should have been in the chapter. Which, I understand, so I thought a little bit more and came up with an alternate version of chapter 6. It still has the exact same conversation as before, I just added on a couple of scenes at the beginning for your reading enjoyment, hope you all enjoy! ;)**_

_** Also, a lot of you have been inquiring about pairings, especially after Robin and Wally were teasing each other about girls at the end of this chapter. My answer? I honestly don't know. I've pretty much just been focusing on keeping this story within the general feel of the show itself, but I suppose there will be exceptions here and there. Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm mainly writing about the friendships within the team and how Robin views Artemis and the others as well (as this story is in his POV). So… as far as pairings go… only time will tell. Sorry if that answer was kind of vague – it was meant to be, as it's all sort of up in the air at the moment.**_

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><p><em><strong>********Alternate beginning********<strong>_

There's something about Mondays that I don't think I'll ever quite figure out. Everyone views them differently, but as I walked through the halls after the first period of the day, I could tell that the general consensus of the students shuffling by me with tired eyes was that they would have preferred to stay in bed than get up for their morning classes.

Pop quizzes on a Monday are brutal, even more so when teachers pull them on us first thing in the morning. All I can say is that I'm glad that I was on time for my Calculus class earlier this morning so that I was able to do a last minute run through of the notes from the previous week.

So far I've kept my promise to Mr. Rankin to be on time for class, but there was a morning the other week that I resorted to getting Bruce to write me a quick note. Actually, I had typed the note and got him to scribble his signature on it quickly when he was only half paying attention while signing paperwork for Wayne Industries.

Pop quizzes aren't that bad if you've been thorough while learning the material, but apparently most of the class hadn't been as successful with that task as I had been over the weekend if the blank stares out the window were any indication. When I handed in the quiz after about fifteen minutes, I noticed that a lot of the papers I walked by were practically as blank as the expressions half of my classmates were sporting.

'_If any of them claim tomorrow that they failed because the Injustice League's plants crushed their textbooks, I'll be very tempted to speak up. I mean, come on! We live in Gotham City of all places! Vigilantes and Villains running through the streets stopped being an acceptable excuse in school shortly after I became Robin.'_

Turning from my thoughts, I focused on the present as I ducked and wove through the throng of students in the hallways of the mathematics building in order to get to the shortcut across the courtyard to my locker. However, just as I could glimpse the door that opened to the crisp autumn air, an arm suddenly shot out in front of me.

Fighting against all of my training as Robin, I resisted dodging out of the way and let myself fall to the floor after being sloppily clotheslined by another student.

From my spot on the hallway floor, the first thing I noticed was that my books had slipped out of my hands during my fall and had effectively scattered across the floor like I had planned. Next, I took note of the muffled giggles and muted laughter coming from those who sidestepped around me where I was splayed out.

I grumbled under my breath and moved to sit up, but someone's foot landed on my chest and pinned me to the ground. Although I could have freed myself and had my attacker knocked out on the ground in moments, I stayed where I was and contented myself with giving the senior above me an annoyed glare. Sure, I couldn't give him what Wally called the 'Bat Glare', but a toned down version would have to suffice.

Unfortunately, a dialled down intimidation technique really doesn't intimidate anyone, especially seniors. Go figure.

"Can I _help_ you?" I forced out through gritted teeth. Sure, I was supposed to be a bit of a wimp whenever I was at school to keep up appearances and all, but I figured that Bruce wouldn't mind too much if my sarcasm showed through here and there. Besides, what was this guy's problem?

"You could have helped me half an hour ago!" Taking a closer look at my 'attacker', I knew that this was the senior I sat beside in Calculus. Although I wasn't in senior level calculus quite yet, this guy had been taking the same calculus class for the past two years. It didn't surprise me when he added, "I really couldn't afford to fail that quiz today, and you wouldn't help me out!"

Frowning, I informed him, "Hey, it was just a quiz, I'm sure it won't-" My attempt to use logic failed as he reached down and grabbed the front of my shirt to drag me to my feet. He slung me around and slammed my back against a nearby row of lockers before he leaned closer. I could smell his horrible morning breath as he muttered, "It _does_ count though, Grayson. But, of course, you're too much of a goody-goody nerd to share some answers, aren't you?"

I glared at him for a moment, thinking through my options and resisting the urge to knock him flat on his back. Before I could let my comeback fly, it appeared that I had been silent for too long. He drew back his hand that wasn't holding me and curled it into a tight fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." His fist stopped inches from my face, and I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned that a familiar voice had interrupted my beating. I couldn't see past the guy's turned head, but I instantly knew a friend had showed up as they taunted, "You must be desperate if you've decided that beating up Grayson over a math quiz is a good idea."

He muttered under his breath for a moment before releasing his hold on me and wheeling around on the blonde who had just questioned him. As he stalked into the middle of the hallway towards her, I noticed that a small group of curious onlookers had formed a circle around me, the senior I had ignored since the beginning of the year, and Artemis.

She stood a few feet away from me and was focused on the bully who was approaching her, but she glanced my way and smirked for a moment when our eyes met. Artemis turned her attention forward again and inquired, "What are you going to do, Jeff? Punch a girl – in a _skirt_ – of all things?"

'_Oh, so his name is Jeff. Who knew? Well, Artemis apparently did, but-'_

I pushed my thoughts aside when I saw Jeff's posture stiffen and both his hands fist in annoyance. I knew Artemis had noticed as well, but she merely raised a mocking eyebrow and threatened coolly, "I'm sure the principal would be _so_ impressed if he heard you not only beat up a_ girl_, but also harassed the school's prized Mathlete."

Her verbal jabs wouldn't go unanswered, and the senior let out an annoyed yell as he dashed towards Artemis. She didn't flinch at the large teenage boy running at her like most students at Gotham Academy would. No, Artemis merely sidestepped at the last minute and threw her foot out to trip the oaf.

Jeff pushed himself up off the floor and rounded on Artemis again, but even though she wasn't facing him because she had moved to walk towards me, she easily dodged the tackle he had aimed for her waist.

I quickly moved out of the way as Jeff hurtled through the air and banged against the lockers I had been standing in front of moments before. I inched further away from him as he stood up slowly, but when he turned around to face Artemis again, I could tell that his face plant into the lockers had done nothing to abate his anger.

"You're dead, Crock." Jeff spat as he stalked towards her, clenched fists at the ready. Glancing up and down the hall, I noticed that the circle of bystanders had grown bigger, and yet there weren't any teachers in sight. _'The one time a fight needs to be stopped.' _I thought bitterly as I watched Artemis jump backwards away from Jeff's first wild punch.

He continued to try and hit her, his slowly building rage getting the best of him. The one thing I was glad about was that Jeff wasn't on the ground in pain yet. Don't get me wrong, Artemis could totally take this guy down in seconds – just like I could – but I was pleasantly surprised that she was trying to stay true to her civilian identity.

After a particularly powerful punch that had off balanced Jeff because he didn't hit his intended target, I realized that Artemis had been leading him into the centre of the hallway again the entire time. She took advantage of his unbalanced state and dropped down, twisting as she did in order to swing her leg out and sweep Jeff's feet out from under him.

As Artemis stood and the defeated senior fell, I thought to myself, _'Oh boy. I wonder what everyone else is going to say about Artemis beating a senior….'_ Looking around the circle of students, I was grateful when I noticed that most of them weren't seniors and wouldn't be holding a grudge against Artemis any time soon – besides Jeff of course – but I still knew some damage control was in order.

I confirmed Jeff was down for the count before I stepped into the circle and asked, "So, where'd you learn self-defence moves like that? Were they teaching that in gym class this week?"

Artemis turned and studied me for a moment, but then she seemed to realize that those who were still standing in the circle were staring at her. Relaxing her posture a bit, Artemis rested a hand on her hip and replied with a smirk, "Nope, we haven't covered that in gym yet." I was surprised that Artemis hadn't grabbed hold of the excuse I had offered her, but she then added, "At Gotham North, you deal with this kind of thing _every_ day."

She shifted her cool gaze around the circle, and as if she had just communicated some sort of silent command, the curious stares of those around us suddenly widened in surprise and even fear. Soon enough, everyone decided to leave. Jeff's buddies stepped forward to get him to the nurse, and traffic in the hallway had almost returned to normal.

Artemis kneeled down and began to grab a couple of my books, and I quickly joined her. Throwing a glance over my shoulder as the group of annoyed seniors disappeared around a corner, I turned back to my blonde friend and asked, "Aren't you worried that they're going to tell the nurse or Principal what happened?"

Standing up with a few of my books in hand, Artemis waited until I had stood up as well before she placed what she had collected of my belongings on top of the pile I already had in my hands. She looked at me for a moment, as though she was trying to figure something out, perhaps she was even trying to place something I had said before she shrugged and countered my question with her own. "Do you really think that they're going to tell the nurse that a girl who was smaller and younger than Jeff beat him up?"

"I guess not…." I trailed off as I followed Artemis to the courtyard door.

"Exactly."

When we were outside, I asked Artemis another question, "But what if they _do_ for some reason?"

Artemis glanced down at me momentarily, a gleam in her eye to match her smirk as she stated, "Self-defence."

Nodding at her quick answer, we both entered the school again and headed straight to our lockers. Although Artemis and I both had Physics next and our classroom was just around the corner, the hallway scuffle had taken up more time than I cared to think about. After a quick exchange of textbooks and binders, we both crossed through the doorway of our Physics room just as the bell above our heads went.

I hastily took my seat and tried to ignore the ringing in my ears that the close proximity to the bell had caused. Pulling out my notes, I listened to the teacher begin a short review for our Kinematics test the next day. I jotted down the notes that he wrote on the chalkboard, but my ears perked up when I heard him explaining to a student at the front of the class that acceleration was just the change in the rate of an object's velocity.

Forcing down a mischievous smile, I raised my hand in order to ask a question. Usually it was just my English teacher that I liked to pester with my word questions, but in that moment, I couldn't resist the opportunity that had just presented itself.

My teacher looked up at me and I could tell he was trying to hide his surprise that I wanted to ask a question. "Yes, Richard? Do you have a question, or do you need the washroom pass?"

The odd murmur or chuckle came from some of my classmates, but I just lowered my hand slowly and gave my teacher a quick smile as I replied, "Actually, I have a question Mr. Isaacs."

"Alright, let's hear it then."

Folding my hands together in front of me, I asked, "If acceleration is the change in the rate of an object's velocity, then what would the change in the rate of an object's acceleration be called?"

As soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, I regretted them. I remembered too late that Kid Flash had used this fact as a comeback during our training session yesterday when he had gotten paired up with Artemis.

"Well, Richard, there _is_ a name for that, but you won't need to know it for the test. However," My teacher paused for a moment, adjusting his glasses as he let his grin grow before addressing the class, "The next time any of you call someone a jerk, what you're really telling them is that they're the change in the rate of the acceleration."

I noticed that a lot of the students in the class smiled at the second meaning of the word, and some in the back even laughed a bit, but I was more focused on Artemis's reaction. I looked over my shoulder at her, and decided it was quite…lacking.

When I studied her expression closer though, I realized that she hadn't reacted to my question or its answer because she hadn't even heard it. Her fingers were drumming on her desk quietly to a tune only she could hear through her headphones.

As I turned around, I felt more disappointed than relieved that Artemis hadn't heard me – it was definitely a major clue that I had let slip.

"Does that answer your question, Richard?" Mr. Isaacs asked once the class had calmed down a little.

"Completely." I replied, knowing that my teacher had just helped me answer a far more important question.

As the class went on, I tried taking notes and listening as best I could, but my mind kept drifting as I knew it would for the rest of the day.

_'Artemis totally didn't hear one of the biggest clues yet that I've let drop around her, and she's really never going to figure it out because she's so, so…__**oblivious**__. I mean, headphones in the middle of class, really?' _I glanced back at my friend once more as I added to myself, _'If she just missed that clue, how many others has she missed?'_

The ironic thing about discovering answers? Those answers almost always lead to twice as many questions as I started with!

_'One thing is for sure though, if there isn't anyone to spar with when I get to Mount Justice tonight, I think all my thoughts might finally explode out of me, which is a very, __**very**__ scary thought.'_

**- - - - R - - - -**

"Oblivious!" I muttered as I swiftly left the empty training area of Mount Justice and headed towards the team's common area. "She's so…_oblivious_!"

_'She doesn't get it, or she's just ignoring it, maybe she just can't see-'_

"Who's Oblivious?" turning to my left, a slight breeze shifted my bangs to the side as a blur of red and yellow came into focus beside me. My best friend always seemed to have a knack for showing up whenever I'd prefer not to talk to him – or anyone.

"I really don't have time to explain, KF."

"Come on, Rob," Wally pointed a finger at me that still had the white dust of a jelly donut on it, "There's _always_ time to rant."

"Maybe, but unlike you, I don't have super speed." To explain my point I quickly added, "I don't have enough time to go on about nothing like you do. Besides, I know how annoying that can get." I smirked as Wally gave me a shove in return for my remark.

"Whatever, but you still need to tell me about this oblivious person. I hope you realize that naïve people are _so _much more fun to mess with." He rubbed his hands together in an evil manner, almost as though he was already planning someone's untimely, comedic demise.

Snorting, I informed him, "She's far from naïve – trust me – she's just totally, completely, and utterly oblivious… of me."

As we turned right and walked through an opening into the kitchen, I noticed Wally raise an eyebrow before he asked, "So… the Boy Wonder finally has a crush and the girl doesn't even know he exists? How tragic…ally hilarious!"

"Wha – _what? _No, I-" I immediately blurted out, but my 'friend' only interrupted his own _hysterical_ laughter to continue taunting me.

"Wait, wait, okay! So, it must be the brilliant Richard Grayson that's having girl problems?"

"No way, West! I just-" I cut off my train of thought as I noticed the prominent smirk that was probably going to be plastered on Wally's face for the rest night – an eternity for a speedster. _'And no doubt an eternity for me if he keeps pestering me about some 'girl'. I best set him straight or suffer through unbearable teasing for the next month… or until I strangle him. Either way, this needs to end.'_

Narrowing my eyes at the redhead who was leaning against the counter across from me, I stated, "Artemis."

Momentarily losing interest in the food bowl beside him, Wally eyed me warily as he questioned, "What does Artemis have to do with your girl problems?"

"Seriously, KF? I don't have a girl problem!" Wally raised a mocking eyebrow in response to my words. Frowning, I informed him, "Artemis is the girl I was talking about a few minutes ago. _She's_ the oblivious one."

"Oh." Kid Flash stated with completely out of character thoughtfulness as he peeled a vibrant banana that rivalled even the bright yellow of his costume. He looked at the half peeled banana for a moment longer before looking up at me with a glint in his eye to ask, "_So…¸_ what do_ you_ think she's oblivious of? I know what _I_ think, but I just want to hear your opinion." I threw him a glance to let him know just how queer he was being, but he just added defensively, "Hey, honest question. I mean, I don't need to tell you how _I _feel about her, I was just asking you _your_ opinion."

"Oh, _I _didn't mention anything about 'feelings' – _you_ are solely responsible for that topic entering our conversation." I mentally added Wally's slightly flushed cheeks to my endless stash of potential blackmail material before pushing on. "You've definitely said enough to me, the team, and even Artemis about your negative feelings towards her, but newsflash, bud! Actions speak louder than words, and lately your actions have been _yelling_."

The look on Wally's face was priceless. It was a mix between a fish gasping for water, the blank stare Superboy has when he watches static, and a kicked puppy. Oh, so priceless – and too hilarious not to capture. I whipped out, clicked, and hid my cellphone and its camera before Kid Flash could even register what happened.

"We'll laugh about this one day." I mumbled mischievously more to myself than my confused friend.

Shaking his head, Wally growled at me, "Dude, _so_ uncool."

Shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly, I informed him, "You stop claiming I have girl issues, and I won't blackmail you about Artemis…_yet_."

"Because that inspires confidence right there." Kid Flash replied sarcastically. I crossed my arms while I waited for Wally to come to the conclusion that I was done joking around for the time being. He gave me an uncertain look as an answer to my actions before he cleared his throat and asked awkwardly, "So… what is Artemis oblivious of exactly?"

I studied my best friend for a few seconds and prepared myself for his reaction as I stated, "Me." Kid Flash was quiet for once, as though he was trying to decipher what that single word meant, but I cut short his pondering by adding quietly, "She's oblivious of my secret identity. I don't know if she even has a clue, KF."

"Isn't that what you're going for, _Shades_?" Wally questioned incredulously, his tone implying that he was wondering if I had suddenly grown a second, invisible head he wasn't aware of.

Absentmindedly fingering one of the arms of my glasses, I reminded him, "These glasses weren't my idea." I paused to force my hand away from my sunglasses before adding, "I trust you guys."

Wally nodded as he muttered, "But Batman doesn't, I know. You've explained this all to me before, but you've always just gone along with it. Why is it such a big problem if Artemis doesn't know your secret identity?"

Looking past my friend and into the living room behind him, I quickly scanned the immediate area to make sure it was empty and free of our other teammates before I informed him quietly, "She goes to my school."

"W-wait, why would she go to the Academy with you? I thought she lived in Star City with her uncle, the Green Arrow?" I nodded, my mind suddenly whirling as I tried to think up an excuse to protect Artemis' secrets as much as possible. Also, I needed a reason why she would be a protégé in Star City, but also be a student at Gotham Academy like I was.

"Are you sure Artemis goes to your school? I mean, maybe it's just someone who looks like her?"

"It's her." I replied bluntly.

"Oh." Wally looked at me for a moment, as if trying to fill the gaps in the information I had given him. Finally, with a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, he said, "Okay, so Artemis goes to school with you. That's a little… _strange_, but why does it matter to you whether she knows your secret identity? She's _supposed_ to be oblivious of that fact – so sayeth Batman."

I resisted the urge to glare at my friend for repeating the facts that I already knew all too well, and instead managed to give him a curt nod as I replied, "Yeah, so sayeth the Batman."

Silence stretched out between us after my comment, and Wally took the time to concentrate on his cast for a moment. He eventually began poking it here and there before he muttered, "At least a teammate goes to your school." I gave the redhead an inquisitive look, but I'm sure he didn't even notice. He kept prodding the cast, as though inspecting it for the twelfth time in the past two days would suddenly make it go away or heal faster.

"Yeah, maybe, but Ms. Martian and Superboy go to the same school together. Artemis and I aren't the only ones." I pointed out, hoping to distract Wally from his arm.

His shoulders heaved from a sigh. Glancing up at me, he stated, "Sure, but they know each other's secret identities, unlike you and Artemis."

"Way to make me feel better, man."

"No problem, I've been told that I can be quite a motivator when I set my mind to it."

Wally's grim expression slowly turned into a sly grin as he straightened up and stretched as though he thought he could touch the kitchen's high ceilings. Crossing his arms awkwardly behind his head because of his broken arm, he leaned against the counter behind him once more. "But seriously," He began as his arms returned to a more comfortable position at his sides and his sarcastic smile disappeared. "Just be thankful that you have a teammate at your school whether they know you or not. It's good to have a fellow hero nearby – I don't exactly have that luxury at my school – y'know, unless Kaldur suddenly goes to my school and no one told me."

"KF, your school doesn't have a pool, let alone a fountain."

Wally let out a snort before retorting, "Sorry, I forgot that there's an Olympic sized pool at your school with an optional water show setting."

"Yeah, that _is_ kind of overkill, even for my school." I shook my head from side to side for a moment, wondering how we went from talking about an oblivious teammate to debating what kind of school our team's Atlantean leader would attend – if he ever for some reason decided to enroll in a surface school.

That's the thing about my friendship with Wally though; we can talk about anything or nothing and still get a kick out of it. It's when more serious matters need to be discussed that our communication skills often became… _lacking._

Noticing that the fruit bowl to the left of Kid Flash was being steadily depleted, I motioned to the fridge beside me and asked, "So, after I left the training room, did you come after me to eavesdrop on my muttering, or did you really come this way to refuel and I just happened to be between point A and B?"

"You know me too well, Rob."

"That's what I thought."

Wally just shrugged before walking past me to the fridge. He grabbed the handle, but paused, as though there was something else he wanted to say. It had to be important if it was delaying him from attempting to satisfy his rampant appetite.

I saw him visibly will his hand to let go of the smooth handle, and a brief look of trepidation crossed his face. I felt my eyebrows raise in question, but before I could get a question out of my mouth, Wally whispered, "You're not the only teammate Artemis is oblivious of."

I blinked in surprise as I tried to process my friend's sudden insight, but KF chose that moment to live up to his name and disappear in a flash – in the blink of an eye even.

A quick scan of the room confirmed that the redheaded speedster had up and disappeared. _'Seriously?'_ I thought to myself as I ran a hand through my raven hair. _'I let him know what was bothering me, I suffer through his comments, and just when our conversation began to be normal again he drops information that's the equivalent of a bombshell going off.'_

"Typical KF." I muttered in conclusion. Glancing around the room once more, I let out a sigh and grabbed an apple from the nearly empty bowl on the counter that Wally had been attacking earlier. Walking into the living room, I vaulted over the back of the couch to settle down and do some serious thinking.

"Umph!" I practically rolled right off onto the floor thanks to unexpected noise that came from the person I had just landed on.

"Gah!" A surprised gasp escaped my mouth as soon as I looked up from my spot half underneath the coffee table when I realized who I had just rebounded off of.

"R-Robin?"

"There isn't enough 'dis' in the world to properly describe this…" I muttered, preparing myself for what was bound to be the greatest test of my training yet.

'_Oh yes, I'll have to tap into the lessons from Bruce for this!'_

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><p><strong>It was a tad shorter than usual, I know, and I realize it shouldn't take a month for me to crank out an update. Believe me, I'm working on it. (Slowly but surely!)<strong>

**Besides, after the chapter ending I just gave you, I think a quicker update is definitely in order this time around!**

**Let me know what you think in a review – even if it's yelling at me to update quicker :P (I do really appreciate the input though, comments and questions from others are honestly what helps a writer improve!)**

**~Crimson Fox4 **

_**04-09-12 UPDATE**_

_**Well, I definitely enjoyed typing up the new beginning, and hopefully it gives a little bit more context / background why Robin was so annoyed at the cave after school. I mean, come on – it's a Monday, pop quiz, almost getting beaten up while in his civilian identity, and Artemis of all people saving him, and top that all off with Artemis being totally oblivious :P**_

_**Anywho, hope you all enjoyed, and that extra scene added to this chapter, and not the opposite. Chapter 7 should hopefully be up sometime after this coming weekend – I've got a road trip planned that I'm hoping to take advantage of when it comes to typing!**_

_**~CF4**_


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